No New Clothes Challenge : Entering Fall
The days of socks and fuzzy sweaters are slowly slipping in up here in the mountains. I can see summer waving goodbye with a steady calm. Autumn has the BEST flying weather thanks to this calm (so if you hate to fly, there’s a little heads up!). It also comes in little chilly bursts, which means it’s time to switch our wardrobes. So should we go shopping for new clothes?
You know the answer at our house: absolutely not!
A couple of weeks ago, the owner and his family came to vacation here. We had to move out all of our clothes and most of our personal belongings. We’re pretty much moved back into the house now, yet a funny thing has happened. I still have not brought in all of our clothes.
All this time, I thought we were doing really well with less. Turns out we can get along just as well with far less than we thought.
The incredible thing is that with only about five shirts and two sweaters available to me, I’m actually happier. I’m not struggling with what to wear or trying to find out what matches. I already know. With so many other things to juggle, I kind of like the break from any clothing conundrums.
My classmates from German class in Berlin come to my mind. Many of them probably had about five outfits that they’d wear to class. They were totally okay with it, and those clothes looked really good on them. I felt like they focused their energy (and money) on clothes that worked for their bodies instead of clothes to fill their closets.

my mom and me – brrr!
Most of you and I will eventually have to pull out some warmer clothes. But I think I have more sweaters than I need. What about you? If you are not wearing something, do you need it? If you have so many sweaters that you wear them all, but not very often – do you need so many?
So this fall, we’re not going to shop for clothes anywhere but the two plastic bins we have tucked away: one labeled “Martin’s clothes” and one labeled “Katie’s clothes”.
Then I think we can get rid of some of those clothes that aren’t in our regular rotation and focus on clothes that matter – just like my old classmates do.
What are your thoughts on the clothes you have as we approach a changing season?
Catch our whole No New Clothes Challenge journey right here. 15 months strong, incredible personal growth, and no unnecessary clothes purchases!








August 31st, 2010 at 6:29 am
I am so interested and inspired by your clothes journey, Katie. So much of what you say really resonates with me. I am embarrassed to say that I just bought a whole bunch of back to school clothes for myself (I work as a school nurse–first day back is today). I just really feel like I need to feel fresh and put together and that it makes me feel more professional. And I’m not comparing myself to other ladies in the office–I do this mostly for myself. On the other hand, I can really see now that I will never “win” at the treadmill of needing new clothes every year or two to keep up with fashion. It is very freeing when I go through periods of not buying new clothes and just saying to myself “this is what I’m wearing” and then just get to work.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us!
August 31st, 2010 at 6:59 am
I recently lost a lot of weight and I am going into this fall/winter season with 2 pairs of beige corduroys and a pair of jeans. I do have about 7 t-shirts and 2 blouses for summer. I don’t have any long sleeve shirts. I am carefully thinking about what I should buy for the fall/winter. I am considering just buying a few cardigan-type sweaters to wear over the t-shirts/blouses I already have.
As I have lost weight I have cleaned all the too-big clothes out of my closet. It is much easier to keep things tidy. I know exactly what I have. I wear everything I have. I have found out I love having less clothing.
August 31st, 2010 at 9:14 am
Mary Beth and Carrie – your thoughts make a lot of sense. And Carrie – huge congrats on the weight loss. That deserves a very large applause!
Katie
August 31st, 2010 at 8:40 pm
My son is packing right now for a 6 month study abroad in Germany that starts Thursday! He is taking one suitcase and a carry on backpack. He is forced to live with much less than what he is used to but he will easily adapt. Many other students are way overpacking. It is weird to think that all the clothes you would need for months at a time (including all winter!) can fit into one suitcase, but it can!
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
I gave birth to my first child 6 weeks ago. While pregnant I lived in a much smaller wardrobe than I was previously used to and was just as happy. I’m now within a couple pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight but have a slightly different shape than before. As I figure out what clothes work for my lifestyle now (SAHM,) I find myself wanting to scale back my regular wardrobe too.
I think I’ll spend the time between now and Christmas evaluating my current wardrobe and pulling out the things that no longer work well for me. My little sister is my previous size and shape. I can let her go through what I don’t want when we visit for the holidays and donate the rest.
I will say I’ve bought a few specific clothing items recently to make nursing easier, but I plan on waiting to buy any more until my weight/shape stop changing and I’m more sure of what I already have. I know I can live just as happily with a lot fewer clothes in my closet.
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
Over the past year, I’ve purged my closet and drawers twice. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of clothes. However, I still have more than I’d like. The conundrum now is that I’m having a hard time parting with what I have left. But at the same time, I want to have a smaller wardrobe. I want it to be much simpler than it is currently. I’m not sure exactly what motivation I need to move on from where I am. I think maybe putting a lot of these clothes in plastic tubs and seeing how much less I can live with would be a good place to start. Then if I really feel the need for something different, I can, as you said, shop from that tub.
Thank you so much for all you share – it continues to motivate me to cut back, simplify, and learn to be content with less stuff. :-)